E3 2009: Droplitz Preview

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Drop it like it's hot.

By Daemon Hatfield

Atlus is readying its first downloadable game, a puzzle affair with some similarities to the classic Pipe Mania. Droplitz sends beads of liquid sliding down the screen through a mixed-up series of tubes (like the internet). Players must rotate individual sections of pipe in order to guide the drops to buckets at the bottom. The A and B buttons (or X and circle on PlayStation 3) will rotate counterclockwise and clockwise. There is no punishment for letting drops hit a dead end, you just need to keep a certain amount of them in play.

Droplitz is meant to be a relaxing game people can play after a hard day at the office or school. A game will last 10-12 minutes for a casual user but if you get all hardcore with it you can keep it going for over an hour. As you level up the music will change from ambient to techno and different background themes will pop up. This is one of those puzzle games where you always start at level one and try to get as far as you can in one go. Perform well enough and you'll unlock more modes.

This will be a single-player experience, but if it performs well enough the developer has some multiplayer ideas for a sequel. Look for Droplitz on XBLA and PSN this July.